tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14126161728429495272024-03-04T23:59:21.793-08:00The Bizarro World Debt Elimination Freak ShowBasil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.comBlogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-70122327140775401792008-04-07T19:45:00.001-07:002008-04-07T19:46:23.038-07:00No JokeSomeone commented that we posted on April Fool's Day. I hadn't even noticed!<br /><br />We're really out of debt.<br /><br />Really!Bianca Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659540944022979828noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-81524002187149489742008-04-01T21:08:00.000-07:002008-04-02T00:32:06.581-07:00Out of Debt and F%$king Loving It<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbT0iNqP1Gq6rVUGi-O75g1JY9ZmgHsdCIrVeGBrLQNYBC7OlpPtM23mu9ZKSmZvrLUQ6AssACILVSO-37BTqKhEB7uQu12hIdusyGknOTnPFtaRdQYn8BqRM2ZDLZ5ZTtMv3xjE4mduY/s1600-h/basil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbT0iNqP1Gq6rVUGi-O75g1JY9ZmgHsdCIrVeGBrLQNYBC7OlpPtM23mu9ZKSmZvrLUQ6AssACILVSO-37BTqKhEB7uQu12hIdusyGknOTnPFtaRdQYn8BqRM2ZDLZ5ZTtMv3xjE4mduY/s320/basil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184498366932092466" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />*blows dust off microphone<br /><br />(tap tap)<br /><br />Is this thing on? Listen, I know everybody left, but I've got an announcement.<br /><br />(the sound of a cricket from a far off corner of the room)<br /><br />The Bizarros are out of debt. And have been for a about a month. I wanted to learn how to run up a tree and do a flip to celebrate, and I had planned to do the research, but let's face it, I'm just not a tree-flipper. I thought it would be a more momentous occasion, champagne, cheering, etc., but it kind of came and went, quietly, amidst a lot of transferring money between accounts, four day delays, etc. Very undramatic. With all the money floating between accounts (paypal, two different banks, etc.), it was kind of like, I think we're out of debt...? Then the dust settled and it was done: zero. Flat broke, but breathing clean air.<br /><br />But the beauty of it is, the mind-blowing amount of hard work that had propelled us to the surface also just kept on truckin', and now we're solidly in the black and heading to Australia for two weeks in May, using real, honest to God cash.<br /><br />The Bizarro World Debt Elimination Freak Show lived up to its name. We worked until our fingers bled, worked when all we wanted to do was collapse on the couch and eat ice cream using our hands, worked instead of going out, worked instead of sleeping. For over a year my life involved working a 9 to 5 job and then working a second job until after midnight. I took side jobs I had no interest in. There were dark times indeed when a descent into insanity seemed like a good and welcoming thing. We took chances, we used credit cards, we fought bitterly at times and I found myself shouting profanities at a laptop because my debt was on the screen.<br /><br />I hated that debt so intensely, so passionately for so long, that by the end, when it was dwindling beneath $1,000, I began to kind of feel sorry that it was going. It was like losing a limb. It had become a part of me, and if that isn't a sick f--king thing, folks, I don't know what is. But it <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> a part of me. I created it. But now it is cast out of me.<br /><br />But some things haven't changed. I'm still of the opinion that it's the mind-numbing throw-away lifestyle (both of objects and experiences) that drain our lives and create great deserts of mediocrity on our own maps of memory. And Bianca and I still eat out too much.<br /><br />But I'd be lying if the food didn't taste twice as sweet.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-14690512052793378562007-09-05T20:25:00.001-07:002007-09-06T18:26:05.000-07:00The Time Has Come To Bid The Blogosphere Adieu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyn1HVAGkC_sWy2y4WcdaUq81FgdT7jBL-IVFLLGfMITxTTEZ2A2fdMPrSonkqe9sRzdREzhyphenhyphenM4oaohjtvG-6kaLcJkz6LM34mE_RBUPQyBAnzAK9yItjCgynEsWFezk11ZzUAsxn_EBC/s1600-h/basil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyn1HVAGkC_sWy2y4WcdaUq81FgdT7jBL-IVFLLGfMITxTTEZ2A2fdMPrSonkqe9sRzdREzhyphenhyphenM4oaohjtvG-6kaLcJkz6LM34mE_RBUPQyBAnzAK9yItjCgynEsWFezk11ZzUAsxn_EBC/s320/basil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106934482220838978" border="0" /></a><br />When I really started getting serious about getting out of debt, I looked to the blogosphere for help. I can't begin to thank everyone out there, both for the great information, but also for the support your comments gave me. I'm not out of debt yet, but the pace quickens almost by the day, and I can truly see the light at the end of this dank and horrible tunnel. Unfortunately, my massive debt repayment effort leaves zero time to blog, so we made the decision to fold up shop and throw all efforts to killing debt.<br /><br />I thank each and every one of you that took the time to read our ramblings, and cared enough to cheer us on when we were down (and my, were we low at times). That takes a certain kind of character that makes me believe humans may have a chance.<br /><br />The one thing from this amazing experience that resonated with me deepest is this: gratitude. Look within your lives, because everything you need is right there. And for the most part, free. Many people who become mired in debt lose that ability to see the beauty of everyday things and everyday moments, to see and appreciate nature and beauty and human kindness - because Madison Avenue doesn't get rich promoting those things. Corporate America gets rich on people zombified by stuff-lust and plastic pieces of crap, not the appreciation of what truly matters in a life. What I learned is this - pay attention to your life, right down to every bite of food you take into your mouth to the value of the love given to you that is worth more than ten thousand hours in front of a plasma screen you can't afford.<br /><br />It's all right there in front of us, and as the immortal Huey Lewis and the News once put it, "Don't need no credit card to ride this train."<br /><br />Cheers. And <span style="font-style: italic;">good luck</span>.<br /><br />Basil<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrbAH0bU0e3d_7hvGsohgqon5YR6KoBFq4CruGADd-QnwVu44fWithkqsK5i1htoRZhgYs-srmNtG8AaSJgsu3iPsjXC2AT7KTtYY_e0vkdHZugafm47nh47sa7TFq3yWvA4vAyZJelRS/s1600-h/bitsy-t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrbAH0bU0e3d_7hvGsohgqon5YR6KoBFq4CruGADd-QnwVu44fWithkqsK5i1htoRZhgYs-srmNtG8AaSJgsu3iPsjXC2AT7KTtYY_e0vkdHZugafm47nh47sa7TFq3yWvA4vAyZJelRS/s320/bitsy-t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106935448588480626" border="0" /></a>Sorry, I can't begin to follow that so I'll just say that I'll miss the interaction, great ideas and support I got from everyone. Thank you for being there for us.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-81593861791200195682007-08-16T23:42:00.000-07:002007-08-16T23:44:48.096-07:00Basil Bizarro, Debt War Hobo Soldier<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWylVMOmCChXcaZ5xINm6wPNaRJPiAH4dxk08i10ySZR-0GXZc2mrMIVBf6Ub13v_1HM6ERMBj00Fc2j2t0mxGDCkIFyTkLcfQ4qR1i4vDYLVtIsQBs2QrU3DeUcpWbbTDlJ3P8anF5La/s1600-h/basil.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWylVMOmCChXcaZ5xINm6wPNaRJPiAH4dxk08i10ySZR-0GXZc2mrMIVBf6Ub13v_1HM6ERMBj00Fc2j2t0mxGDCkIFyTkLcfQ4qR1i4vDYLVtIsQBs2QrU3DeUcpWbbTDlJ3P8anF5La/s400/basil.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099550279313360514" /></a> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Yeeaaaahhhh</span>...so we took a little unexpected break there. Sometimes life comes up and hits you broadside with a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">shovel blade</span>, right behind the ear. Which is expected, this unexpectedness - it's just that we were weakened by the madness of starting a business, so we went down a little harder than we anticipated.<br /><br />Apparently sometime between starting this blog and now I turned into a hobo. Frugality, while it has certainly helped us in some areas, hasn't done much for my personal appearance. I had one real haircut since last December. I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">don't</span> even recognize myself. Who is this person, with the shooting shafts of jagged hair that gave me the look of a barn owl blown apart by buckshot? Bloodshot eyes peering out from sunken pits? Even my car, which I've explained as being something quite horrid to begin with, is failing. The paint is peeling off the body in shapes that remind one of huge sores. I'm having difficulty remembering the last time I bought a shirt. Or pants. Or underwear. All I need is a bottle of river-distilled gin and a boxcar and I'd fit in with the likes of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Cacklehead</span> Jimmy Pastelpants and Frank "the Shank" Moonbeams. Oh, the times we'd have, keeping clear of the railroad dicks and Capital One's goons.<br /><br />Due to exhaustion, I've yet to update the debt total, which now sits at $13,150. I'll have cracked thirteen large by the end of the month. Things are snowballing, faster and faster, but the brutal work pace and my freakish hobo appearance are taking their tolls. I just hope I can make it to the Big Rock Candy Mountain, where the dogs have rubber teeth, the lake is made of gin and debt is but a long forgotten dream.<br /><br />I think the end of the journey may more realistically resemble the following, which is the original last verse of Harry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">McClintock's</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">Big Rock Candy Mountain</span>:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I've hiked and hiked and wandered too,<br />But I ain't seen any candy<br />I've hiked and hiked till my feet are sore<br />And I'll be damned if I hike any more<br />To be buggered sore like a hobo's whore<br />In the Big Rock Candy Mountains<br /></span>Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-64506845561423295362007-08-10T10:00:00.001-07:002007-08-10T10:19:40.290-07:00We're Back!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNhX8Mf7ZTu18ywCgyI2i4dNuEAhvWO2Wmtqwllhl0CXMdEanbYQWCPXLUmnNhf_bQrtYEhPkd5ovywuTpBLJOWK6ikvcHN7l1H8beHtf-WZJNvHOzv33ceJmtibt_LzAy7iRKo-aw7dd/s1600-h/bitsy-t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNhX8Mf7ZTu18ywCgyI2i4dNuEAhvWO2Wmtqwllhl0CXMdEanbYQWCPXLUmnNhf_bQrtYEhPkd5ovywuTpBLJOWK6ikvcHN7l1H8beHtf-WZJNvHOzv33ceJmtibt_LzAy7iRKo-aw7dd/s400/bitsy-t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097118070497513858" border="0" /></a>Sorry, we've been out of the loop for a while, but we've had a lot going on with our personal life, as well as Basil's crafty side business which is exploding like an egg in a microwave. Basically, if he's not at his day job, he's working on the side business. Really. Every night from after dinner until midnight, and this morning he even had to forgo a shower because he was busy packing envelopes. I said that was fine as long as I wasn't working next to him -- but he had to get into a pool today at work for some reason (nice job, huh?), so I think he figured that counted as bathing.<br /><br />Our goal this weekend is to set up a budget and start going over it on a weekly basis, to staunch the dining out flow before it gets out of control as well as keep a closer eye on where all the money is going. Plus although we have additional income from the side business, we also have additional expenditures, so we want to see how much extra Basil can send to the credit cards. We also decided to get the ignition fixed on Number One Son's new/used car, so we'll be taking that into the shop Monday morning, but we plan to put that on an empty credit card to just float paying it off a month.Bianca Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659540944022979828noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-61114407085639483842007-08-02T22:08:00.000-07:002007-08-02T22:16:05.982-07:00Who Stole our Savings?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrQ2h8CCOnhPORNqYYIV7izW6hesjEHJy4t_DciWLflpqEx76arM7OXIbUwo0PkG7tc5RdM9h3hnmtyErvorLzKW_OOtb2rWFvnpy5qMFcA8Ua2aLygQe7Y8Kusl5cdEPi8FSo1k6Jj2L/s1600-h/bitsy-t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrQ2h8CCOnhPORNqYYIV7izW6hesjEHJy4t_DciWLflpqEx76arM7OXIbUwo0PkG7tc5RdM9h3hnmtyErvorLzKW_OOtb2rWFvnpy5qMFcA8Ua2aLygQe7Y8Kusl5cdEPi8FSo1k6Jj2L/s400/bitsy-t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094337010453877106" border="0" /></a>As you can see, I finally updated our emergency fund bar. After taking money out for dental bills, new glasses and a car, we still have $3727 in the emergency savings. And that's what it's there for, isn't it? It's going to be a very tightly budgeted month in August because there's the college payment of $940 to pay (which will be mostly refunded after all the loans and scholarships come through), plus Number One Son just called to say he needed to go to the dentist because he thinks he has a cavity. I bought him dental insurance this week, but it won't cover fillings for the first six months. At least it will cover the check up and cleaning, and as he'll be in college for another three years, I figure I should have it on him anyway. Basil's going to attack the credit this month, and I just hope I don't have to dip into the savings again. At least work's picking up for both of us, so we should have a little bit of overtime as well.Bianca Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659540944022979828noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-92022155802420545332007-08-01T20:13:00.001-07:002007-08-01T20:18:24.511-07:00Cracked Fourteen Large, Or, The Crafty Side Business Strikes Back<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFkqiB6XLmiyhrikCoNEltAksKTy-r8R-wo9VckXNa3ItnIbItv7WfLh2hzwDm1ZINHeRqA2Zy8dwS1cempj4pStPPSMZBLaaH817UzCIRqbDgEjp6Y51y32OTPhAJookpFvbX-3mPqgl/s1600-h/basil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFkqiB6XLmiyhrikCoNEltAksKTy-r8R-wo9VckXNa3ItnIbItv7WfLh2hzwDm1ZINHeRqA2Zy8dwS1cempj4pStPPSMZBLaaH817UzCIRqbDgEjp6Y51y32OTPhAJookpFvbX-3mPqgl/s320/basil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093936228720180274" border="0" /></a>I just took the gloves off and gave my debt a smack in the nose with the heel of my hand. It's bleeding a bit, dazed, but leers at me, knows the fight is far from over.<br /><br />I should have kicked it in the groin. Maybe next month.<br /><br />Fight debt. Fight dirty.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-14176278719021432902007-07-30T22:20:00.000-07:002007-07-30T22:47:10.208-07:00June Income & Expenses!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBhIEhAt2SZFCUh0kBLnjQZoWebeTdU8zBVNlOdWykZems7Gd2zhy_JtgiInPGYGoJz98QzR5OO68HK2oT8J5pgy-kHNq7bM2uENLe_heH7ahyxe9aEbeo06geUJIxUXaGG46uuMJW82-/s1600-h/bitsy-t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBhIEhAt2SZFCUh0kBLnjQZoWebeTdU8zBVNlOdWykZems7Gd2zhy_JtgiInPGYGoJz98QzR5OO68HK2oT8J5pgy-kHNq7bM2uENLe_heH7ahyxe9aEbeo06geUJIxUXaGG46uuMJW82-/s400/bitsy-t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093227298278773058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22PBAIqZnhhX_zzlckDHPIEdR7jKeMMZDkHO0BBAbaX857TVMJpQg_DeI-ECABY9jjqKcrT3tCvb0LNfBxappl-iQUDmRDp3C1xEIB5bKhL2BXXVrtNILefDNv5dBW3sLToWjb7NBccuz/s1600-h/income+%26+Expenses+June+2007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22PBAIqZnhhX_zzlckDHPIEdR7jKeMMZDkHO0BBAbaX857TVMJpQg_DeI-ECABY9jjqKcrT3tCvb0LNfBxappl-iQUDmRDp3C1xEIB5bKhL2BXXVrtNILefDNv5dBW3sLToWjb7NBccuz/s400/income+%26+Expenses+June+2007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093231760749793634" border="0" /></a><br />Whew! I just made it. I barely made getting June's income/expense report up in July. I think I've decided that next month I'm not going to wait until I get my bank statement (since it usually arrives after the 15th), and instead, reconcile with my online statement so I can get a better handle on where the money's going. What happens to Basil and me is that we have a good month, and then celebrate the next month, yet we don't realize how much we've spent until yet another month's almost gone by. We used to try to go over expenses weekly, but that kind of got away from us, too.<br /><br />Unfortunately, as you can see, we ended up in the negative this month. But that can be explained by the purchase of a car and registration for Number One Son to take to college. We also had an airline ticket for Number Two Son to fly to visit his father for the summer.<br /><br />The good news is that we quit randomly driving around and combined errands, so our gas went down $60 for the month. Basil had a lot of art income, but that was mostly spent on art expenses, supplies and for when his parents visited, but hopefully in the future a bigger cut of that should go toward the credit cards.<br /><br />We kept groceries down to around $400 which is where we want to be, but that could be because for one week of the month there were only two of us. Also dining was cut by half to $236 (but I'm afraid that July's will be back up).<br /><br />Entertainment was high because of Basil's family visiting.<br /><br />Gifts Given was high because there are A LOT of birthdays in my family in June including mine, two of my sons, three of my sisters, and a friend's. Add to that that Basil's brother graduated from high school and I think we did pretty well in the gift giving department.<br /><br />Everything else is pretty normal, but car insurance will be going up with an additional car $60 a month. We're hoping to change our cell phone package to try to get that lower, but with four people in a family plan, I don't think $142 is too bad, especially since we don't have a land line we're also paying for.<br /><br />Hopefully next month I'll get July's budget up much quicker, because we've got to get this debt paid down, plus save for a wedding in the next 11 months. I think we're going to implement a budget through Quicken and see if that helps us.Bianca Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659540944022979828noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-38913918119242697032007-07-30T15:42:00.001-07:002007-07-30T16:04:48.743-07:00Sex At $3 A Pop, Or, The Price Of STD And Pregnancy Protection<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gdVOUD1mod1hh3JKwJKmd67YnMuIvY0EBEs3_PUyJv1AacLyMOOPl6HNIO9tKMIGDp_9fp6BJPMRgXX6rdeM0M4N18R_LpV0zejNt3bcVFD8iQdhX91N6xoc8vR1vRineVSP-kG3NzTq/s1600-h/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gdVOUD1mod1hh3JKwJKmd67YnMuIvY0EBEs3_PUyJv1AacLyMOOPl6HNIO9tKMIGDp_9fp6BJPMRgXX6rdeM0M4N18R_LpV0zejNt3bcVFD8iQdhX91N6xoc8vR1vRineVSP-kG3NzTq/s320/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093124205023329298" border="0" /></a>While Bianca and I were at the Rite Aid looking for aloe for my third-degree sunburn, she went off one aisle and I lingered down another. I came across the condom aisle and began looking them over. Something I had never noticed before was that in addition to the "large" size (including the popular "Magnum"), there is now an XL. This was news to me. I thought the upper end of the scale was the Magnum. <span style="font-style: italic;">Leviathans lurk in the waters of the masses</span>, I thought.<br /><br />That was until I reached the Extra Large Durex <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">XXL's</span>. My goodness. The box proclaimed "Extra large for big time pleasure." But I was in for another surprise as my eyes played over the colorful boxes.<br /><br />I scanned the prices, finding the normal <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">discrepancies</span> between the Mercedes and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kia</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">comparable</span> brands...until I reached the "sheepskins." Holy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">colona</span>. While a mid-range box of 12 condoms will run you $12.99, a box of 12 sheepskins, or "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">sheepies</span>" as I immediately nicknamed them, will cost you - get this - $39! I had to know more about these extravagant contraceptives, and before I knew it I had my notebook out and was jotting down the words "pricey <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">sheepies</span>" in it (what - you don't carry a notebook for times such as these?).<br /><br />Apparently, sheepskins are only good for pregnancy protection. They won't do you a bit of good if you find yourself sharing a room where the only <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">furniture</span> is a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">mattress</span> with a towel over it and there's someone taking your money (But who would use a $3 condom in a situation like that? Then again, you're probably not thinking frugality at that point). Sheepskins are worn mostly because they apparently feel more natural.<br /><br />The kicker for me was this: sheepskins are not actually made of sheep skin - they're made from lamb intestines.<br /><br />I've got to stay out of the Rite Aid - too many rabbit holes to tumble down.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-21468036834997018102007-07-29T22:14:00.000-07:002007-07-29T22:21:51.720-07:00Gah.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFLCGYm7b3-Gv9FTMwgmJxUS9E9EMdOB24DHxN4owHm8ZnK0ifD2oMVm8kIoU0LGRbFbj1xblApvcjWm6y2dk_9b5k7FiaHEiON0BS1C_-krxqjAZgK4kd2YpZ2c8UZncxWPifqEY72gQ/s1600-h/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFLCGYm7b3-Gv9FTMwgmJxUS9E9EMdOB24DHxN4owHm8ZnK0ifD2oMVm8kIoU0LGRbFbj1xblApvcjWm6y2dk_9b5k7FiaHEiON0BS1C_-krxqjAZgK4kd2YpZ2c8UZncxWPifqEY72gQ/s320/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092854210494200834" border="0" /></a>Monosyllibic rants. Stress headaches. Spitting obscenities at machines.<br /><br />Getting serious about adding a debt reducing side-business is painful. Doing it on top of a stressful 9 to 5 job is excruciating. I had my best month yet in terms of sales, but had to invest it all into growth. Disappointing.<br /><br />Bianca is an angel, without whom I would be in a park somewhere, my clothes black and shiny from my own oils, an empty bottle of Old Jim Skin's Budget Drunkdrink laying next to me.<br /><br />Gotta pull it together.<br /><br />This is the war on debt. Sacrifice. Hard work. Hopefully it will bear fruit.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-55193828405368757842007-07-29T08:55:00.000-07:002007-07-29T09:11:12.729-07:00Good and Bad News<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMbBhbr6RznKK17MzioiAzKOpG6QnMPrnX7JnPY6aSaWlrWQiNncVrWnFmSwPwoR4PiCKwiBduz-XxFTaO-X9OKt1yP_DrW_QOaXQcoHjGViPXqr1oT2zo5uvXA9vs2efsZh_ssgicpt6/s1600-h/bitsy-t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMbBhbr6RznKK17MzioiAzKOpG6QnMPrnX7JnPY6aSaWlrWQiNncVrWnFmSwPwoR4PiCKwiBduz-XxFTaO-X9OKt1yP_DrW_QOaXQcoHjGViPXqr1oT2zo5uvXA9vs2efsZh_ssgicpt6/s400/bitsy-t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092648259377860914" border="0" /></a>The good news: Basil was really relaxed after a day of boogie boarding and lying in the sun on the beach.<br /><br />The bad news: The sunscreen should have been reapplied more often because by 10 p.m. his stomach and chest were the color of a cooked lobster. Today he says it feels like a million needles are stabbing him.<br />I guess we'll have to find a better way for him to relax, because when it comes to putting on sunscreen, it's like trying to apply it to a three-year-old.<br /><br />More good and bad news: I got a refund check of $74.80 from State Farm for my car insurance. The letter stated: "When financial results are better than expected and business conditions permit, we are pleased to return part of your premium. We enjoy these positive results because of our policyholders' attention to safety and our careful management of your premium dollars." Yay!<br /><br />The bad news: I got a bill for lab work from my physical for $85, which doesn't say it's covered by insurance. It was last year, but the doctor sent me to a different lab, and this year the blood was drawn in her office. I'm hoping it's actually covered, and I'll call Monday to find out, otherwise, that refund check is going straight to the bill for the lab. Wah!Bianca Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659540944022979828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-69089154499814477102007-07-28T08:30:00.001-07:002007-07-28T08:39:01.671-07:00A Day of Relaxation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRMcXlxkwpQGdDMl7qbxL2HRiCbDklGYjqnxArTJIfIBzr44B_qlbDz6PllYdfPRdxu2X85gDi_8Flmc_v2lwYI7fYBIxdAIRS3r7eSDLzdGuEKiiUNBv1Dn9N2uaBCV-SsMilTAm_yg0/s1600-h/bitsy-t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRMcXlxkwpQGdDMl7qbxL2HRiCbDklGYjqnxArTJIfIBzr44B_qlbDz6PllYdfPRdxu2X85gDi_8Flmc_v2lwYI7fYBIxdAIRS3r7eSDLzdGuEKiiUNBv1Dn9N2uaBCV-SsMilTAm_yg0/s400/bitsy-t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092270723162607906" border="0" /></a>Today we're taking Basil to the beach for some much needed (forced) relaxation. He's been working every night and all last weekend on his crafty side business and his boss even sent him home from work Thursday because his eyes were all bloodshot and he looked awful. Of course he went home and worked his second job. I figured the only way to get him to relax was to get him to the beach. There he swims, lies around, reads and always feels great when we come home. I know the side business will help pay off the mountain, but I'm afraid of what kind of mental and physical shape he'll be in when that year's up. I don't want to look like I'm marrying a hobo next summer.<br /><br />Oh, yeah, and maybe I'll finally get to balance the checkbook and post June's finances this weekend.Bianca Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659540944022979828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-26332329562898072322007-07-25T07:50:00.000-07:002007-07-25T08:13:29.645-07:00Basil's Intervention<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWXW4AxOcITd47iNEBwoVfH9KeOjN_gCPbm8uHaUHAtp6hNuHiczN1x60K3wLhNTcNx-dtNkQ_jw0cSY3T4it_bpeaXiC4SKxEtssBjMs5LBvVs4WGvPkSEfqiR72rdSBBLS1knfTUN6i/s1600-h/bitsy-t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWXW4AxOcITd47iNEBwoVfH9KeOjN_gCPbm8uHaUHAtp6hNuHiczN1x60K3wLhNTcNx-dtNkQ_jw0cSY3T4it_bpeaXiC4SKxEtssBjMs5LBvVs4WGvPkSEfqiR72rdSBBLS1knfTUN6i/s400/bitsy-t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091146953559544082" border="0" /></a>Sorry, I've been out of commission for a while, but Basil was using both computers for his crafty side business this weekend and I worked late yesterday. I thought I'd better interject before people become too depressed and think Basil's going off the deep end. Basil says his brother is "more successful" than he is, but he's basing success on what capitalism, advertising and our society deems "successful".<br />Yes, his brother makes a lot of money, but he's 30 years old and I've given up learning the names of the latest girlfriend because I know it'll change before I even get the chance to meet her. He parties every weekend, which Basil and I have long outgrown (not that we don't like partying with friends, but going to bars has never been a weekly activity for us). Yes, he's buying a house, but he's never camped on a beach at Catalina Island, hiked the Rockies, or seen dolphins chasing a whale-watching boat. He hasn't moved across the country and when it's 0 degrees out in Chicago, we're running errands in t-shirts and jeans. He hasn't helped raise three wonderful boys, who are smart, funny, creative and just fun to hang out with. His brother may seem successful to the outside world, but he's going it alone, not letting anyone get too close to him. Basil throws himself into the world and new experiences. He's smart, creative, generous and has a fianceeĀ“ and family who love and support him. And you can't buy that down at the Wal-Mart.Bianca Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659540944022979828noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-41221605295650358332007-07-24T22:12:00.001-07:002007-07-24T22:16:30.938-07:00Holy Cats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUzxKu-BW9VeiQT-f8tyDCVo5Mj_GS5PluYn_fFtHWSNh5rIy6yHm8yuPgxa-1whRuOrX5eU5mYsFf6HehY4SowqWB3sEz6nV-AozvSWyZ6w_PX1PrM0B5R_MCre-6gfEr9gVZhLKw9kz/s1600-h/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUzxKu-BW9VeiQT-f8tyDCVo5Mj_GS5PluYn_fFtHWSNh5rIy6yHm8yuPgxa-1whRuOrX5eU5mYsFf6HehY4SowqWB3sEz6nV-AozvSWyZ6w_PX1PrM0B5R_MCre-6gfEr9gVZhLKw9kz/s320/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090998071657757682" border="0" /></a>My, that last post was a cheery one.<br /><br />I've run myself ragged trying to manage my Crafty Side Business and my full time job and I'm coming apart at the seams. Emotionally battered. Tired beyond reason. My successful younger brother buying a house and I'm in the gutter trying to crawl my way up to $0.<br /><br />My only excuse is that this site is titled "Freak Show." Lest anyone get any ideas that it's anything but.<br /><br />Trying to think postivie thoughts. None come to mind, at present. But what is there to do but soldier on? At least money's being thrown at the mountain.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-68999830459133692612007-07-24T18:22:00.000-07:002007-07-24T18:36:46.893-07:00Movin' On Up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLWBcpmhyphenhyphenhKwRfd-QpQ5o_OT3lRp_K0RbFT9iMJrc_esZX7lwJdxkDSoT1giNlmcBazGEQbcmBvg0bmkElMlJCfAkfyQG-CxGVEeyu-BSYe3FCxikC464GZGP2lSplV57TB5CusFBeK63/s1600-h/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLWBcpmhyphenhyphenhKwRfd-QpQ5o_OT3lRp_K0RbFT9iMJrc_esZX7lwJdxkDSoT1giNlmcBazGEQbcmBvg0bmkElMlJCfAkfyQG-CxGVEeyu-BSYe3FCxikC464GZGP2lSplV57TB5CusFBeK63/s320/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090939007267503074" border="0" /></a>When you move to a major urban center to try and upgrade your <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">financial</span> fortunes, you often neglect to look around you at the splendor such a place has to offer. I mean, if I hadn't looked around recently I would have missed:<br /><br />The beauty of the slow, graceful arc of a tall unconscious man, and the wet, deep slap his head made hitting concrete. I would have missed his assailant, chest puffed out, striding away triumphant in his drunken, shirtless <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">glory</span>.<br /><br />The beauty of several dozen pigeons eating out of a wet garbage bag in the parking lot of a Home Depot - eating and screwing, sometimes at the same time.<br /><br />A two hundred pound woman urinating quite vigorously, in the middle of the sidewalk, at 3:30 on an airless, sun-baked afternoon.<br /><br />In other news, you can read about how a guy blew $210,000 on drinks this weekend. The story is <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070724/od_nm/nightclub_champagne_dc">here</a>.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-91836846040220901272007-07-21T11:08:00.001-07:002007-07-21T12:49:41.967-07:00Going Into Debt For Jesus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwTQjTf-2lnBj5pemOFU7wp6jdqxGZ5Hf6kRPfdyEfXw5IvxfrerHOlMpHs4XQVfHwmttMpyJgbXmuOR3QaKkRSmC1utX7-Ct3D3j03IXkuDBqCZxBpRp0FMe8dJV04b1n4fSSlRj1FB6/s1600-h/092603-jan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwTQjTf-2lnBj5pemOFU7wp6jdqxGZ5Hf6kRPfdyEfXw5IvxfrerHOlMpHs4XQVfHwmttMpyJgbXmuOR3QaKkRSmC1utX7-Ct3D3j03IXkuDBqCZxBpRp0FMe8dJV04b1n4fSSlRj1FB6/s320/092603-jan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089720013944519634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8adA0VUSvzzUzi6A4Ys8iGVaHMDjL3Y41VT9ATkexea6N2783HFzNTFDYAug2VcDbWVccqW64cxV1i6ENInyTWFekaw7VkFplJ-j1HouFhziXEOKN45YttefY4ueiAOWaojRVI-5rNjZ/s1600-h/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8adA0VUSvzzUzi6A4Ys8iGVaHMDjL3Y41VT9ATkexea6N2783HFzNTFDYAug2VcDbWVccqW64cxV1i6ENInyTWFekaw7VkFplJ-j1HouFhziXEOKN45YttefY4ueiAOWaojRVI-5rNjZ/s320/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089714658120301506" border="0" /></a>Bianca and I have never had cable. Ever. Whenever we enter a hotel room, the first thing that is done - before bags drop from shoulders- is the television is turned on, usually to the Weather Channel, which I could watch for hours. I could rent a hotel room, watch the Weather Channel for 24 hours, and leave completely satisfied. That's what no cable has done to us.<br /><br />At home, my options were limited to the crap network stations, the Home Shopping Network and several (13) Spanish-language stations. Then there was TBN. I used to watch the Trinity Broadcasting Network <span style="font-style: italic;">way</span> more often than I should have. I watched it for the sheer, gleeful horror of its entertainment value: the Crouches (see Jan pictured above), the silly movie premieres (watching Christian filmmakers and broadcasters act all "Hollywood" remains endlessly entertaining to me) and, of course, Benny <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hinn</span> with his amazing Holy Spirit Knock You Over Spells. I mean the guy is a real-life X-Man. There's something so ornately sleazy about him that makes you suspicious he bathes only in Cristal champagne.<br /><br />I was reading a William <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Lobdell</span> article in the Times today titled <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lostfaith21jul21,0,532432.story?coll=la-home-center">"He Had Faith In His Job</a>" in which <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Lobdell</span> talks about his years covering the holy beat. He mentions <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">TBN's</span> "prosperity gospel":<br /><br />"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">TBN's</span> Creed is that if viewers send money to the network, God will repay them with great riches and good health. <span style="font-style: italic;">Even people deeply in debt are encouraged to put donations on credit cards</span>." (italics mine)<br /><br />"'If you have been healed or saved or blessed through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">TBN</span> and have not contributed...you are robbing God and will lose your reward in heaven,' Paul Crouch, co-founder of the Orange County-based network, once told viewers. Meanwhile, Crouch and his wife, Jan, live like tycoons."<br /><br />They need the money, you see, for the $21 million dollar private jet, 30 homes across the country and their two mansions in Newport Beach. Oh, and the ranch in Texas. And the taxes they have to pay on these donations? Nada.<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">Even people deeply in debt are encouraged to put donations on credit cards</span>."<br /><br />Look, somebody's gotta pay for Jan's pink skyscraper wigs.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-71294198534015570842007-07-19T17:46:00.001-07:002007-07-19T17:55:19.043-07:00Debt Numbers Updated<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6F_2oUFJ54vBbPeS6uXGHAcJRk-RwIEq7sMQvdoT0Jq_8FNSg0ARN5PIAJacL-lGA8bDIXjW2CL2dDAuV6lr-iFBrBXU6BqsBQJG7qr4K256BzCxSy9MvYMEMMKnJsoTYWd5XynP-ndK/s1600-h/basil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6F_2oUFJ54vBbPeS6uXGHAcJRk-RwIEq7sMQvdoT0Jq_8FNSg0ARN5PIAJacL-lGA8bDIXjW2CL2dDAuV6lr-iFBrBXU6BqsBQJG7qr4K256BzCxSy9MvYMEMMKnJsoTYWd5XynP-ndK/s320/basil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089074178864163346" border="0" /></a>Debt total now stands at $14,294. This number would be much lower if I wasn't reinvesting profits from the Crafty Side Business back into it, but today I nearly made as much from sales as I made at work.<br /><br />The hope is once I have the business where I want it I can grow it steadily while using profits to obliterate debt. I would love to be blasting a grand off the mountain every month, but that doesn't seem feasible just yet.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-40629122915358996652007-07-18T23:08:00.000-07:002007-07-18T23:31:08.576-07:00So, My Credit Card Company Screwed Up - Does This Mean My Balance Will Stay At 0% Forever?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9a4pQO9vrX-QfpcGdO4_fZ3ALuM3gTIWUrhSg9NPKqSsQNwNuClpSlYdpfQfNHzw82goPhsafszZCXJj0w3uMdPOzxDv1Ihxq7udRO-fYQx_8oj01pj6NTQNEI8YqAHUPGabSSaIypU1/s1600-h/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9a4pQO9vrX-QfpcGdO4_fZ3ALuM3gTIWUrhSg9NPKqSsQNwNuClpSlYdpfQfNHzw82goPhsafszZCXJj0w3uMdPOzxDv1Ihxq7udRO-fYQx_8oj01pj6NTQNEI8YqAHUPGabSSaIypU1/s320/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088786270026443266" border="0" /></a>Upon double checking my statements online, I noticed that a 0% balance transfer had been misapplied as 9.9%. One of the statements showed all sorts of corrections and additions and subtractions, and they were named strange things like FUND READJ FRONT END FEE MALJUS TW 769EEHJ.<br /><br />I called the company.<br /><br />"What's the deal on all these corrections?" I asked.<br /><br />"We misapplied a transfer rate. It's been corrected," the woman said.<br /><br />"I see it's been corrected."<br /><br />"Of course we apologize for any <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">inconvenience</span>," she said.<br /><br />I was trying to hold my phone to my ear and urinate at the same time. I had been on hold for 21 minutes and the woman had come on just as I had begun to use the bathroom. "So...<span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> make a mistake, I get an apology - but <span style="font-style: italic;">I </span>make a mistake and I get 29.9%?"<br /><br />"Is there anything else I can help you with today, sir?"<br /><br />I had a vision in my head, being fresh from a viewing of the latest Harry Potter film. In it there are beings called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Dementors</span>, which suck the life out of you, your very soul trailing like vapor into their mouths. This is what it feels like, I thought. Talking to this woman, who thanks to the wonders of globalization is sitting in a room full of other women, women who speak English better than I do, somewhere in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Ajjampura</span>, India - I truly felt my soul being sucked out and into the pinprick-sized mouthpiece of my cell phone.<br /><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Gah</span>. I've gotten so used to <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> speaking to these "account specialists," that it pains me when I have to do so.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-2291308616327722007-07-18T18:18:00.001-07:002007-07-18T18:33:46.939-07:00A Nasty Little Secret About The Secret<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aXu5_pIDVviA9b-X63WCfuSgNKcZWgVauSRThS71xJ4jDtap_ECTCgtfpZHFwwBJW8Gt0wRa8WyF6_pepF69OiscxZOiOm7YQqTJCKl5Y2zZEjHLkavaKgicpvaaAOKfD01jmbsfSVZD/s1600-h/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aXu5_pIDVviA9b-X63WCfuSgNKcZWgVauSRThS71xJ4jDtap_ECTCgtfpZHFwwBJW8Gt0wRa8WyF6_pepF69OiscxZOiOm7YQqTJCKl5Y2zZEjHLkavaKgicpvaaAOKfD01jmbsfSVZD/s320/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088711198293076466" border="0" /></a>A while back <a href="http://bizarroworldfreakshow.blogspot.com/2007/05/secret-i-will-not-be-sharing.html">I wrote about the Secret</a>. About how the Secret was essentially crap. But something happened recently that was more than a little bizarre. And it had to do with the Secret.<br /><br />Because I'm sometimes known as a "wiseacre," or even a "smartaleck," or occasionally, if people are being particularly cruel, a "wisenheimer," I've been known to mix it up a little bit. Zig instead of zag. <span style="font-style: italic;">Not</span> "hit that" when someone commands "hit that." So when I was listening to the audio version of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Secret</span>, there came a point where the author said to imagine something positive you would want. Something you really, really want. So I did. But I didn't think of anything positive; no, because I'm a "wise guy," I thought very specifically and very hard about wanting a certain co-worker to leave the company.<br /><br />This person - who, mind you, was considered by all within the company to be a lifer - is very suddenly no longer with the company.<br /><br />I still think the Secret is utter shite, but let's be honest here - I did get a bit of gooseflesh over the whole affair. And just to be one the safe side, I'm going to keep my negative thoughts in a mental "lock box" for the time being. Let's face it, I'm just too cosmically powerful right now.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-26124724869898065282007-07-18T07:57:00.000-07:002007-07-18T08:17:57.329-07:00Mommy, There's No More 'Mercials For Nuggets! I Feel Empty In My Tummy And My Soul, Mommy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TYW8XMD5Jz5bFQAv3dy_nu3inx3kj_uti3Hgl0zHbTWgGdyqzQjiWCo2cR4c2XeoUJ1PLqrnJLGicTt-gpaJOERDJB7bMRjELf06pdUk8khgLmYzH0VYb-5vuSeYtHeHjFwZhxqrCQeT/s1600-h/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TYW8XMD5Jz5bFQAv3dy_nu3inx3kj_uti3Hgl0zHbTWgGdyqzQjiWCo2cR4c2XeoUJ1PLqrnJLGicTt-gpaJOERDJB7bMRjELf06pdUk8khgLmYzH0VYb-5vuSeYtHeHjFwZhxqrCQeT/s320/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088551537178814946" border="0" /></a>Having observed the "McDonald's-As-Crack-For-Youngsters" phenomenon with the spawn of my friends, I find <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070718/ts_nm/food_children_advertising_dc">this article</a> interesting. Apparently some of the largest food companies are going to restrict advertising aimed at children under 12. Including those nugget-dealers McDonald's.<br /><br />Of course parents should be encouraging their sugar-addled young to get out from under the gaze of the electronic babysitter (or the Flat Screen Love Substitute, as it's known in some households) and go outside. There are billboards I see every day that try and encourage parents to turn off the television, or to serve vegetables at dinner. What has happened where we feel like we have to use billboards to instruct people that Ho Ho's and Red Vines are not a nutritious dinner? I think once we've gotten to that point as a society, it may be that we've peaked on the ride and it's time to just throw up your arms and scream as it rockets downward.<br /><br />I, of course, was above all that advertising to the under 12 set when I was included in that group. Pay no mind to the overflowing boxes of battered, very <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">un</span>-mint-in-box Transformers and G.I. Joe figures in my parents' attic.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-43742077178570943242007-07-17T11:46:00.001-07:002007-07-17T11:54:40.051-07:00Our Dining this Month So Far...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BY6TwMiXus1w3Vdo8ImznJGarDW6yP-ybgMVoWZkw2t7rg2UkPfJyBjeHeHZJ99DM8SxOn803V7kR4Hjyiup1BLZ8Di9yWG1jXO2hfJRnMv7w5LHognWdHaKU6PaHpNOt0JKqdbJV_kq/s1600-h/bitsy-t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BY6TwMiXus1w3Vdo8ImznJGarDW6yP-ybgMVoWZkw2t7rg2UkPfJyBjeHeHZJ99DM8SxOn803V7kR4Hjyiup1BLZ8Di9yWG1jXO2hfJRnMv7w5LHognWdHaKU6PaHpNOt0JKqdbJV_kq/s400/bitsy-t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088239202195470434" border="0" /></a> After the crazy eating out binges we've been going on, I decided to check our Quicken halfway through the month to see how we're doing. So far we've spent $157, which includes the $58 buffet (for two) we ate in Las Vegas (we were checking it out to see if we wanted to take wedding guests there, but decided that unless you were a big seafood eater, it wasn't worth it. Plus it encourages you to overeat - the true American way). So we're way down from our high of $600 in May, but over where we'd really like to be. Plus I'm not sure if everything has been entered into Quicken. The only good thing I can say is that we've been eating out really cheap, and believe it or not, I'm actually getting burned out on In-n-Out after eating it four times in a week.Bianca Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659540944022979828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-56747342102753475782007-07-16T18:23:00.000-07:002007-07-16T18:48:24.947-07:00One To Grow On<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZKxEpLCJzhn_whH-fF89CerUvz26B6Q0b5hUKvo7BPMOayNURzYQaOWwhA-FxRveMj12VPrxxM5HpVPHRLNNA_MtSI77QAk5U-mRuNyCyfR38AwEuwQEDDZscRqy4r1O7zPToaNe2Wud/s1600-h/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZKxEpLCJzhn_whH-fF89CerUvz26B6Q0b5hUKvo7BPMOayNURzYQaOWwhA-FxRveMj12VPrxxM5HpVPHRLNNA_MtSI77QAk5U-mRuNyCyfR38AwEuwQEDDZscRqy4r1O7zPToaNe2Wud/s320/Basil+Bizarro+Photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087970556952685010" border="0" /></a>My Crafty Side Business, which I use primarily for debt destruction, is experiencing major growing pains. I'm being approached by stores that want to carry my little crafty things, I have no social life as I'm constantly trying to stay on top of custom orders...it's mad. If I weren't in debt, I'd be able to quit my 9 to 5 and have a wonderful time making what I want. But...I am in debt, so it means I'm working essentially two full-time jobs (Take a moment here and wipe your eyes - I know, I'm a little choked up as well. Poor Basil...). I don't even know my own fiancee anymore. Plus I'm in a transitional stage with the Crafty Side Business where I'm Trying To Take It To The Next Level, which of course means spending money to make money. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Errrgh</span>. It was so simple in the beginning, just selling stuff and all the money going to debt. Now I'm actually having to do calculations, profit projections...<br /><br />On another note, I've been thinking about something lately. Having been in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">blogo</span>-verse for a while now, I've noticed tons of articles about frugality, how to get out of debt, etc. What I'm not seeing much of is, what's behind all of this, all these people waking up tens of thousands of dollars in debt? What's the mass psychology behind this problem, which, as I found out here on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Intra</span>-nets, is a massive one (and tied to America's fat problem, I'm certain)? Why aren't we dealing with the psychology? Is it because we don't want to face it directly? Is it too complicated? What's causing college educated people to wake up one day and say to themselves, "F--k me, I'm thirty thousand dollars in debt?"<br /><br />That's for another time. But it's a valid <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">question</span>, and I think if properly asked and adressed on a massive scale would paint the world we live in in much more menacing tones than the bright colors and shiny plastic would have us believe.Basil Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501134585930622895noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-12032206346683876662007-07-15T17:20:00.001-07:002007-07-15T17:24:41.914-07:00I Used a Reusable Bag!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdkYkMrel3MiEDMAXjY0EuKpqXKSlcPz_0C4GgDaD5ADGq6nqoAA9zAPlHHDH3LBOLvFaars-vac-3eteFSzXaTcCzrWTOliQ7vInnwN_poErmbOCnz8QE15eN956yRHhQrZeePiKwOph/s1600-h/bitsy-t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdkYkMrel3MiEDMAXjY0EuKpqXKSlcPz_0C4GgDaD5ADGq6nqoAA9zAPlHHDH3LBOLvFaars-vac-3eteFSzXaTcCzrWTOliQ7vInnwN_poErmbOCnz8QE15eN956yRHhQrZeePiKwOph/s400/bitsy-t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087583163120875602" border="0" /></a>I did it! It was truly a bizarro moment for me! I used a Trader Joe's reusable shopping bag at a competitive grocery store! I felt a little weird, but she filled it up, no questions asked. Of course, one item didn't fit, so she had to use a whole bag for it. I think I've crossed a line today that I was afraid to cross before. Now if I can only remember to take them in before I'm wheeling the groceries through the parking lot to my car.Bianca Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659540944022979828noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-68744069931057328852007-07-11T20:41:00.001-07:002007-07-11T23:41:16.316-07:00Tagged! 8 Random Things About Bianca<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-NrrpjsOj3W9Ehop-7axUiuAogOdaO2ZriLnQ2LXJFVa4xybplcxl9YnkcDJMUlBtS_hrOK7RVS6OxFYnPbOwJfpTB5wzqhu6i748pgmHu3jNNwDcTK6uwiw_YnW-feRMjWc6l8BiuL7/s1600-h/Bianca+photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-NrrpjsOj3W9Ehop-7axUiuAogOdaO2ZriLnQ2LXJFVa4xybplcxl9YnkcDJMUlBtS_hrOK7RVS6OxFYnPbOwJfpTB5wzqhu6i748pgmHu3jNNwDcTK6uwiw_YnW-feRMjWc6l8BiuL7/s400/Bianca+photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086150886016940098" border="0" /></a>We were recently tagged by <a href="http://www.bloggingawaydebt.com/">Blogging Away Debt</a> as well as <a href="http://englishmajormoney.blogspot.com/">An English Major's Money</a> to reveal eight things you may not have known about us. Luckily there are two of us, so you, you lucky people, will get to learn 16 things you didn't know about the Bizarros (which you may live to regret). Since Basil's working late tonight, I'll post my eight things now, and he'll regale you with his unknown facts tomorrow.<br />1. I'm a twin. Not an identical twin. You should see how excited people are when they find out I'm a twin, and then watch their faces fall when they find out I'm a fraternal twin. I'm such a disappointment. They're also disappointed to find out we don't have any special "connection".<br />2. I'm 11 years older than Basil. We've been together for 10 years, and yes, he was a wee lad of 24 when we started dating. When other women find out they say "You go girl!" and call me Demi.<br />3. I don't like hot peppers. Every time (and I do mean every time) Basil is eating some, he offers me one. I will never take it. Ever.<br />4. I enjoy watching Mystery Science Theatre with my sons.<br />5. I make a fabulous homemade barbeque chicken pineapple pizza almost every Saturday night (including the crust). We eat it while watching Mystery Science Theatre.<br />6. I love boogie boarding.<br />7. I paint portraits in oil.<br />8. I've been known to play Guitar Hero with my sons as a way to bond with them, but I secretly just like to pretend that I can play "I Wanna Be Sedated".<br /><br />I'll go ahead and tag <a href="http://www.frugalbabe.com/">Frugal Babe</a> to find out 8 things about her.Bianca Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659540944022979828noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412616172842949527.post-23318615051017330502007-07-10T09:55:00.001-07:002007-07-10T10:21:43.728-07:00Sin City on the Cheap<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSGS89YQ64nZ4BLesvyb1B8YCbRrPJLOJ_BBkkonaU_KWRePChBLeo70w0rYTJtYBywRKzMFyeeD0KhQ99x6b1AB9bnsHHU_dsVM9gX_RkxI0cEZbhnnxCg4kjEXN_5fV4mGNQQ7E1d0w/s1600-h/bitsy-t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSGS89YQ64nZ4BLesvyb1B8YCbRrPJLOJ_BBkkonaU_KWRePChBLeo70w0rYTJtYBywRKzMFyeeD0KhQ99x6b1AB9bnsHHU_dsVM9gX_RkxI0cEZbhnnxCg4kjEXN_5fV4mGNQQ7E1d0w/s400/bitsy-t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085613143328360930" border="0" /></a>I'm exhausted! Saturday we cleaned and organized for the arrival of Number Three Son on Monday, and Sunday at 6:30 a.m. we hit the road for Vegas. Had a great time and we'll recap more details later, but the bottom line is we did two full days of vacation for just under $300 (that includes hotel, gas and food). That doesn't count the $98 for a new tire after we lost some tread in Baker, CA. You haven't lived until you've changed a tire in the desert in 115 degree heat.Bianca Bizarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659540944022979828noreply@blogger.com0